Jim Commentucci / The Post-Standard, 2008Auburn Memorial Hospital has hired Pegasus Emergency Group to run its emergency room and two urgent care centers for the next three years.

Auburn, NY -- Auburn Memorial Hospital has hired an outside company to run its emergency room and two urgent care centers for the next three years, the hospital announced today.

The hospital selected Pegasus Emergency Group to improve the quality of patient care, reduce patient complaints and make the emergency room and urgent care centers more efficient and effective, Dr. Jim Blute, chief medical officer, said.

“Give it a few months to get everything ironed out and (the community) will see a quality of service they never dreamed of,’’ Blute said.

Compensation terms of the three-year contract are not being released, hospital spokeswoman Beverly Miller said.

Pegasus takes over on Monday. One of the company’s first moves is to reduce the number of emergency room doctors and increase weekend hours at the hospital’s satellite centers on Grant Avenue in Auburn and in Skaneateles, Blute said.

Pegasus will cut to six full- and part-time doctors in the emergency room and add more physician assistants, Blute said. There were 10 full- and part-time ER doctors and four of them were asked to stay, according to Blute.

The hospital decided to hire an outside company after an independent consultant recently evaluated the emergency room patient services and costs and concluded that an overhaul was needed, Blute said.

The hospital determined it was unable to make those changes on its own, according to Blute.

“The main reason we’re doing this is service to the public. If the hospital saves some money that’s an added plus,’’ Blute said.